Steelers Training Camp – Five Things To Look Forward To Taking Place On Friday

The Pittsburgh Steelers will report to Latrobe for training camp on Friday with their first practice scheduled to take place on Saturday. As we count down the remaining few days, here are five things that we all should expect to take place prior to the team hitting the practice fields of Saint Vincent College.

PUP List – It is almost guaranteed that tight end Heath Miller and linebacker Sean Spence will be listed by head coach Mike Tomlin on the Active PUP list at the start of training camp. Will there be any other surprises on that list? Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is supposed to be ready to go after having a knee procedure done during the final week of OTA practices as is tackle Mike Adams, who should be close to being fully recovered from his stabbing that took place on June 1st. The only other player who has a chance of starting camp on the Active PUP list is rookie cornerback Terry Hawthorne, but his knee procedure was done far enough in advance that he too should be ready to go for the first practice.

Conditioning Test – The annual conditioning test will take place Friday afternoon after all the players have reported and checked in, but with so much emphasis being put on it during the offseason, and nose tackle Casey Hampton nowhere in sight; it is hard to fathom that head coach Mike Tomlin will have anything negative to say about the shape that all of his players arrived at Latrobe in.

Pouncey Meets The Press – Sooner or later; center Maurkice Pouncey will have to answer questions about the “Free Hernandez” hats that he and his twin brother Mike Pouncey were photographed wearing recently during their birthday party. In addition, Pouncey will surely be asked specifically about Aaron Hernandez, who is currently jailed and charged with murder. The sooner the fourth-year center can get these questions answered and behind him, the better it is for the team, so hopefully he uses the first few days of training camp to do just that.

Mike Tomlin Press Conference – Last year, Tomlin had no choice but to talk about the absence of wide receiver Mike Wallace at the start of training camp. This year, the only real distraction that the Steelers have as they head into training camp is the situation with Pouncey, but even that is minor in contrast to other things the team has faced upon their arrival to Latrobe. We aren\’t likely to learn much from Tomlin on Friday, but it is an annual event that is sure to produce a few talking points nonetheless.

Noticeable Arrivals – Last year, defensive end Brett Keisel arrived to Latrobe riding a Kubota front-loading tractor and a few years ago former Steelers linebacker James Harrison pulled up to camp in a smart-car. Will any of the players attempt to top that this year, or will just be all business instead?

I loved the Tractor and when he dumped is bags out of the bucket on the road. That was priceless. Hopefully, Hawthorne is ready to practice.

walter mason

Ive been doing a lot of reading on the Hernendez case. There were 4 men at the scene of the shooting (Lloyd, Hernendez, Wallace and Ortiz) according to Carlos Ortiz, who seems to be the only one talking.. . Its a slight possibility that Hernendez was not the shooter. Very slight but a possibility nonetheless. So maybe the twins think he is not guilty? Mike refuses to issue an apology.

hergieburbur

Uhm, even if he isn’t the shooter, he is still guilty if he was there, or aware of it, or covered up any of the evidence. Conspiracy to commit murder doesn’t require one to pull the trigger.

I think they were trying to support a friend, and did so in a very poor manner.

steeltown

Hope Terry Hawthorne is ready to go!

walter mason

I meant to say not guilty (of murder) and without bond. How would you like to have Carlos Ortiz as a friend?

JohnnyV1

I like that all is quiet. I also like that the Steelers are being overlooked, or, at least, that’s how I’m seeing things from what I read. The Steelers split w/ the Ravens (who unfortunately won the superbowl) last year, . The win vs Ravens was w/ Uncle Charlie @ QB, in Baltimore.

Rob H

If Dwyer doesn’t show up in shape and ready to play, they should cut him before the first practice and sign somebody off the street. It continues to baffle me that a young guy with a career in the NFL right in front of him, still can’t seem to do the most basic thing his job requires, I can’t think of anything other than laziness and a lack of self-discipline being the problem.

westcoasteeler

Hawthorne had bone fragments taken out of his knee(s). The reports I read didn’t say how invasive the surgeries where. This is the reason he fell to the 5th round. This could be exciting if the surgery was minor and he’s able to play w/out pain. Hope rehab has gone well.

Oh brother…I hope he’s past that junk. That battle SHOULD be a beautiful one to watch. I happen to like all 3 of the chief contenders. So I hope all 3 come to camp with a full-deck. Do you have a prediction how it will play out? I really don’t…but I’ll try. My guess is: 1)Dwyer 2)Redman 3)Bell. But in my mind, I think all 3 will show well in camp. In a perfect world, Bell is so ready that he wins the job WITHOUT any help (ie…Dwyer out-of-shape….Redman constantly nicked-up). I just want to see a MAJOR battle. The ROLB and RB battles should really be intense.

Brendon Glad

Pouncey just needs to stick to something resembling: “I’m going to believe my friend until I see otherwise…but wearing the hat was bad taste.” Make one more address of it…then never speak about it or publicly display his thoughts on it again for a LONG time… at least until after the trial. I don’t think any of us in Steelers Nation begrudge a man his beliefs, especially before the trial… it was the hamming-it-up with the hats that RIGHTFULLY rubbed so many of us the wrong way. He correctly apologized for his insensitive actions toward the case’s severity. That helped my opinion on the matter a great deal. I’m ready to be done with it after this week.

Jonathon Bert Schade

He is not guilty of anything………yet. And while anyone is free to express any opinion they choose, the fact remains that being arrested and charged with a crime has no bearing on a person’s guilt,(or innocence).

hergieburbur

I guess you missed the “if he was there” part?

Jonathon Bert Schade

If he was there or not is to be determined in a court of law, not hearsay. The basic tenet of our legal system is ‘innocent until PROVEN guilty’. Or are you one of the folks who still say Ben is a rapist or Ray a murderer?

walter mason

Sure the state has to prove their case before a jury but being held without bond would seem to indicate a strong case against him. At this point the evidence and an eye witness account are all we have to go on and it looks very bad but its possible that Ortiz is not being completely honest.

walter mason

Ortiz claims to be an eye witness. He says all 4 men were in the car. He fell alsleep in the back seat when the other 3 men got out to urinate. Thats when he heard the shots. 2 men got back in the car and sped away. Im not sure thats considered hearsay. But we will have to wait for the trial.

Jonathon Bert Schade

At this point it matters naught who said the saw what. Until it is entered into evidence under oath it is meaningless drivel. It matters naught that there seems to be a strong case. Only a court date will determine innocence or guilt.

hergieburbur

And once again, I have to ask: Did you not see the IF as the operative word there? Do you not understand what my post means? Nothing in my post says I think he was guilty, or implies he is guilty. It simply says, IF he was present or involved, he is guilty. That is a simple fact, and has nothing to do with whether he was actually there or not. I really don’t get why the “if” is confusing you so much.

hergieburbur

You are correct regarding the case. While we have a theoretical presumption of innocence (basically someone is thought to be innocent until the evidence says otherwise. We never technically prove anyone innocent.), but it is mostly symbolic, particularly in cases where a defendant is held without bond. That generally only happens when there is a significant flight risk, or significant evidence against the defendant, both of which go against presumption of innocence.

walter mason

Yep and the Patriots also assume he is guilty. Basically symbolic because at this point hes guilty and hes in jail until a verdict says otherwise. Although he has money to hire the best lawyers, its very hard to prepare a proper defense while incarcerated.

walter mason

I guess even a signed deposition means nothing if Ortiz changes his tune in court. He could say he was under duress or coerced. But Hernendez being in jail makes it less likely that someone will get to him (Ortiz).

I hear you and you are correct but its a little more than meaningless drivel wnen the police also have phone records. It will be an interesting court case and its possible he can beat the charges.